How community pharmacy lead officers are driving integration across primary care
Published: 29 July 2026
Community pharmacy has a vital role in improving access, supporting primary care and delivering joined-up care for patients. Yet despite its accessibility and clinical expertise, community pharmacy has historically been underrepresented in local decision-making and service planning.
Local systems can often feel fragmented, with community pharmacy, local pharmaceutical committees (LPC), local medical committees (LMC), GP practices, primary care networks (PCN), integrated neighbourhood teams (INT), trusts and integrated care board (ICB) teams all working hard, but not always together.
Community pharmacy lead officer roles were introduced to address this challenge, helping to integrate community pharmacy more effectively within local healthcare systems by creating stronger connections, improving communication and turning siloed working into shared wins.
How community pharmacy lead officers are connecting care
Community pharmacy lead officers (CPLOs) provide a practical bridge between community pharmacy and wider system partners. Established across 28 INTs and PCNs, the roles were designed to bring community pharmacy into local planning, strengthen relationships and identify shared priorities that benefit patients, contractors and the wider NHS system.
Turning collaboration into action
At the heart of the role is collaboration. CPLOs engage with pharmacy teams, GP practices and system partners to share updates, promote service opportunities, resolve local challenges and support consistent delivery. This collaborative approach helps reduce variation in service provision, improves engagement and ensures frontline teams feel better supported as NHS services evolve.
Delivering benefits for patients and services
The impact of this work is already visible. There have been increases in activity across commissioned services such as the Discharge Medicines Service, Pharmacy First referrals, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring referrals and oral contraception referrals. These improvements demonstrate how stronger local relationships can translate into increased service use and better patient access to care.
Community pharmacy has also been brought into estate management discussions, helping pharmacy estates form part of wider ICB planning rather than being considered separately. This represents an important shift in recognising community pharmacy as a core component of local healthcare delivery.
Unlocking new opportunities for community pharmacy
The work has also opened the door to new service opportunities, including phlebotomy, inclisiran prescribing, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication prescribing and monitoring, and weight management support scoping. Alongside this, CPLOs support workforce confidence by raising awareness of training, guidance and best practice, enabling teams to adapt to changing service requirements.
Investing in system integration
Funding has been agreed through a 50:50 ICB and LPC cost-share model, supporting one day per month for each INT or PCN (28days/month). The pilot is funded until March 2027, with the potential to expand based on outcomes, learning and demonstrated impact.
Building the future of integrated community pharmacy
The CPLO model shows what can be achieved when community pharmacy is properly connected into local systems. By improving communication, building trust and supporting shared priorities, CPLOs are helping to deliver better access for patients, more support for primary care, increased opportunities for contractors and stronger local collaboration.
While much of this work happens behind the scenes, the benefits are clear: CPLOs’ more connected teams, more effective services and tangible improvements for the communities they serve.
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